Can opening device



A. C. HUDSON CAN OPENING DEVICE Jan. 22, 1957 Filed Dec; 30, 1954 INVENTCIIR;

United States Patent 2,778,103 CAN OPENING DEVICE Archie *C. Hudson, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application DecemberSO, 1954,'Seria'lNo. 478,813 1 Claim. (Cl. 30-16) The invention relates toimprovements in can opening devices for sealed metal containers. More particularly the invention aims to provide a more etiicient and reliable opener for quickly and easily puncturing the top or end wall of an ordinary metal can of the liquidcontaining variety in order to form a pouring opening of a desirable size and configuration.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a comparatively inexpensive tool for piercing metal cans to fashion a hole primarily suitable for pouring the contents from the container as required, and one which is capable of use with little eifort and without skill on the part of the operator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an opener of this kind in which there is provided a cutter having a piercing point and diverging cutting edges operating in conjunction with a gauge plate to out a generally V-shaped opening in the top of a can adjacent to the seam or rim, and to press the V-shaped cutting against the side wall to a non-obstructing position. The gauge plate is a distinctive, feature of the organization by which the improved construction is achieved. This gauge plate is arranged to engage the outside surface of the side wall as a locating agency and as a thrust member so that as the material is being cut to form the opening, the opener is automatically held to press the cut material backwardly against the side wall portion of the can. The opener is pressed by hand to drive the cutter into cutting engagement with the top surface of the can.

accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the opening device shown in position on a container for operating on the top thereof to provide an opening;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the opener in initial position on the container ready to be pressed into cutting engagement. This view is taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. I;

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but shows the opener in longitudinal section and driven partly in the top wall of the container;

Fig. 4 is a further similar view but showing the opener with its cutter fully driven into the can top to complete the opening operation;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the can showing more clearly the shape of the opening that is cut in the top of the can;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the opening tool;

Fig. 7 is a head end view of the opening tool; and

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the opener.

The tool of my improved structure is designed to be made as a metal stamping by suitable dies. prises a base or head 9 of flat rigid material such as a good grade of steel of a suitable gauge. This base or head is fairly broad, sufiicient at least to present a flat 2,778,103 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 metal can 11 in which liquid is sealed; and which may be, for example, a can of mik.

The terminus of the head 9 is bent down at right angles to the plane thereof to provide a gauge plate 12 which in the use of the tool abuts the seam or rim portion of the side wall 13 of the can. The cutter is struck up from the material of the head to extend in a general downward direction in spaced relation to the gauge plate and inwardly thereof. The cutter, denoted generally at the opener on the can with the cutter resting on the top wall preparatory to cutting a pouring openingsee Fig. 2 in particular.

The cutter is sloped away from the gauge plate for nearly its entire length, but immediately adjacent the head 9 is supplied with a straight section 15 at right inner face of the side wall of the can and the outer sur- The lower end of the cutter has a piercing point 17 and the side edges, which are cutting edges, diverge to provide a substantially V-shaped cutter.

The junction of the cutter with the head may be strengthened in any conventional manner to resist deformation. In the present instance the re-inforcement is shown by way of a struck-up rib 18. A handle element is supplied on the head so that the tool may be grasped by hand while driving pressure is applied to effect the opening operation.

The grasping element is desirably in the form of a hand lever 19. The handle is fashioned as a straight continuation of the head in a direction opposite to the gauge plate.

the gauge plate is located in operative attitude. It will be understood that the handle may be re-inforced by a struck-up rib or otherwise if so desired without departing from the invention.

In the use of the tool it is placed over a can with the handle held by the distal end and the cutter resting on the top suriace of the can with the gauge plate abutting the rim of a side wall portion. The free hand of the operator is used to apply a downward thrust on the head to drive the cutter into the metal of the top wall. As the pointed cutter enters the top Wall the cut material is wall of the can by the straight thrust face 15 of the cutter. The rim portion of the can is embraced between A pouring hole 20 is thus out free of obstruction to flow of liquid and of a desirable triangular configuration-see Fig. 5.

The tool may, of course, be employed to provide a vent opening, if desired. Incidental changes and variations may be resorted to as fairly come within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A lever-like can puncturing device comprising a stamping formed from substantially rigid and fiat sheet metal stock and providing an elongated handle adapted to overlie a can end, one end of said handle adapted to extend beyond one can side wall, a broadened and hat side wall; a downwardly bent can end-piercing member struck in part from each of said gauge member and head portion but only in minor part from the latter, said piercing member providing a pointed free end, the gauge member being of a length greater than that of said piercing member and providing can sidewall-engaging free end and side portions which outwardly frame the corresponding portions of said piercing member; the bent inner end portion of said piercing member having a longitudinally extending stamped-in-flex-resisting reintorcement, said piercing member providing a short straight portion immediately adjacent its bent inner end portion, said straight portion being spaced from and substantially parallel to the gauge member, whereby to provide a can end bead-receiving space which is cl-nsed at its inner end by said head portion; a can wall-stock piercing and deflecting portion extending inwardly from said pointed piercing member end to said straight portion and being inclined away from said gauge member,

whereby to partially sever and deflect the can wall-stock inwardly toward said gauge membmer when the head portion is pressed downwardly; the can end-overlying head portion providing down pressure-receiving areas which lie forwardly, rearwardly and to opposite sides of the piercing member whereby great lever-action incorporating force can be readily transmitted to the latter from the operators hand, the straight portion of said piercing member subsequently acting on the inwardly deflected can wall portion to cause it to substantially overlie the adjacent can side wall, and the first-mentioned end of said handle enabling the operator to maintain said head portion in operative position preparatory to and during the piercing of a can end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

